Martin Scorsese’s upcoming gangster movie The Irishman, starring Robert De Niro, could become his most expensive production yet. The movie’s budget has already crossed $140 million, Deadline reported, and could rise further to surpass that of Hugo (2011), Scorsese’s costliest film so far at $150 million.
The Irishman is based on Charles Brandt 2004 true-crime book I Heard You Paint Houses, which chronicled the story of mobster Frank Sheeran. The film will depict an older Sheeran looking back on his life and De Niro plays the character in different ages.
The movie, produced by Netflix, had an initial budget of $125 million. The cost reportedly climbed because of the expensive de-aging process Scorsese is using to make De Niro appear decades younger in portions of the film. The visual effects will be done by Industrial Light & Magic, which had used the same technology to reverse-age Brad Pitt in David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), reported IndieWire.
The Irishman is tentatively scheduled to be released by the streaming giant in 2019. Its all-star cast includes Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Anna Paquin, Bobby Cannavale, Harvey Keitel and Ray Romano.